Undergraduate Research Project: How can AI be used to make video games more accessible for those with hearing or sight-related disabilities?
Project Duration:
March 2025 to September 2025Description:
With the growth of both Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the popularity of video games, it can lead to an importance in ways such as how AI can be utilized in technology and how it can help humanity. Particularly with video games, there are three main categories of integration with AI of Generating Content, Modeling Users, and Playing Games. As for how AI can be used to help others, there are a myriad of ways that this can occur. One idea that combines both focuses in this research project is on how to make games more accessible so that as many people can enjoy them. Some ways to integrate AI would be to help with making games playable for those who have disabilities in ways such as hearing or eyesight due to how AI can utilize features such as creating text-to-speech or creating audio text descriptions. This would also mean that the project will focus primarily on Generating Content and Playing Games aspects of AI and video games as the solution will have a goal to create content using AI to improve user experiences by making it easier for more people to play and experience the world of video games. Due to the scope of time, this project has the intent to help create a stepping stone in finding ways for AI to help make things more accessible for everyone.
Technology Used:
Figma, Google Suite, and Microsoft Forms
Challenges and What Was Learned:
From this project, I learned not only about how AI works and the current trends of both game development and AI today, but it has also taught me about the world of higher-academic research and research papers along with how to conduct and use information that’s collected from anonymous user research without the assistance of anyone as the project has been a gateway introduction into what research can be used for in academia. Additionally, by doing this research individually with only guidance from my professor and advice from the user research, it has helped me to become more self-motivated in project work and to form more efficient time management. On the other hand, I was given the unique opportunity to use the first Summer after gaining my degree to increase progress on the research which has created learning in how to focus ambitions for many opportunities both in research and career searching.
Note: For this project since it is an ongoing project, the photos and links won't be shown on this website until after the project is completed.
Traffic Grid
Project Duration:
April 2025 to June 2025Description:
There is without question that technology is woven into the very fabric of our daily lives, from the smartphones in our pockets to the complex systems that power our societies. In an ever-advancing world of technology, Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) has emerged as a critical discipline. In our project, we address the user interface of the Synchro Studio software, which is currently unintuitive, inefficient, and visually overwhelming for its users (traffic engineers and transportation planners). Data input resembles a dense spreadsheet with small cells, making it difficult to read and edit parameters, the software displays an excessive amount of data simultaneously, which is intimidating for new users and clutters the workspace, and the program does not warn users when they enter illogical or unreasonable data, such as an impossible speed limit.
Our team proposes potential changes to the Synchro Studio interface with a focus on improving usability, efficiency, and accessibility. Our approach involves several key changes:
- Combining the map view and data input screens. Instead of navigating to a separate page, users will edit intersection variables in a pop-up overlay directly on the map, providing immediate visual context.
- The ability to toggle the visibility of drawn road intersections to enhance navigation of the map.
- Input validation to provide warnings for illogical data entries, making the software more robust and error-proof.
Technology Used:
Figma, GitHub, Google Suite, and Microsoft Forms
Challenges and What Was Learned:
During this project, my group and I learned how to perform formal design processes, user research, usability testing, and prototype designing. Additionally, the following skills have been learned both technical skills and soft skills:
Technical Skills:
- Designing Using Figma
- Usability Testing
- Data Analysis
- System Design
- User-Centered Design
- Planning Research Projects
Soft Skills:
- Collaboration
- Communication
- Problem-Solving
- Time Management
- Critical Thinking
Link to the Project:
The GitHub Repository for Traffic GridRSO Round-Up Newsletter
Project Duration:
September 2023 to June 2025Descrption:
Through working as a Registered Student Organizations (RSO) Coordinator, one responsibility of the position was to create biweekly issues of an ongoing newsletter that is centered toward the students who are involved with clubs as officers. The newsletter delivered both events and opportunities from departments within the University of Washington Tacoma for all RSOs and provided resources that can help the RSOs.
Technology Used:
Canva, CampusGroups, and MailChimp
Challenges and What Was Learned:
This experience was my first time ever writing a newsletter which ended up teaching me skills such as technical writing, electronic communication, and graphic design. Additionally, because I was doing this individually on top of other responsibilities, it helped me to learn how to finish a task efficiently even when many things are going on simultaneously and while learning new skills. Some examples include swapping newsletter building software within the first two newsletters and in using feedback from the RSO Coordinator team to improve the quality of each newsletter.
Block Party and Club Camp Advertising
Project Duration:
- Block Party 2024: March 2024 to May 2024
- Club Camp 2024: July 2024 to September 2024
- Block Party 2025: January 2025 to May 2025
Description:
As a part of the Registered Student Organizations (RSO) Coordinator Promotions and Partnerships position, one of my responsibilities was to create all marketing materials for the events and to be one of the lead event organizers and planners for the club events with Block Party and Club Camp being annual events. Block Party is an annual end of year celebration to celebrate the end of a school year while bringing together the student clubs, the University of Washington Tacoma departments, and the local community. As for Club Camp, it is an annual student leadership training workshop to help provide and showcase resources that RSOs have available. I led the marketing efforts for Block Party 2024, Club Camp 2024, and Block Party 2025 by developing advertisements for flyers, A-frames/sandwich boards, Instagram, TV slideshow advertisements, and advertisements for both a biweekly newsletter to students involved with UWT’s clubs program and to a weekly newsletter that went out to the entire university.
Technology Used:
Canva, Microsoft Office Suite, and CampusGroups
Challenges and What Was Learned:
I learned how to simultaneously develop large scale events and event advertising for those events simultaneously while working in a team to figure out how to delegate and balance out the workload so everything including any ideas that the team had for a particular event could happen without anyone feeling overwhelmed with the responsibilities.
Link to More Information About the Events:
University of Washington Tacoma Center for Student Involvement RSO EventsInvolvement Fair Advertising
Project Duration:
- Fall 2023 Involvement Fair: September 2023
- Winter 2024 Involvement Fair: December 2023 to January 2024
- Spring 2024 Involvement Fair: February 2024 to April 2024
- Fall 2024 Involvement Fair: August 2024 to October 2024
- Winter 2025 Involvement Fair: November 2024 to January 2025
- Spring 2025 Involvement Fair: February 2025 to April 2025
Description:
As a part of the Registered Student Organizations (RSO) Coordinator Promotions and Partnerships position, one of my responsibilities was to create all marketing materials along with being one of the lead event organizers and planners for the Involvement Fair events which are the largest focus as it occurs every Fall, Winter, and Spring quarter at the University of Washington Tacoma to give all of the university community a chance to learn more about the clubs that UWT has to offer. I led the marketing efforts for the Fall 2023, Winter 2024, Spring 2024, Fall 2024, Winter 2025, and Spring 2025 Involvement Fairs by developing advertisements for flyers, A-frames/sandwich boards, Instagram, TV slideshow advertisements, and advertisements for both a biweekly newsletter to students involved with UWT’s clubs program and to a weekly newsletter that went out to the entire university. Additionally, I also helped in communication and coordination of how the event would run, preparing any resources that both the clubs and departments who were tabling and the event attendees might need, and also helping with event layouts.
Technology Used:
Canva, Microsoft Office Suite, and CampusGroups
Challenges and What Was Learned:
Currently, besides technical skills in website development, graphic design, and video editing, I have learned a lot about building designs and ideas in large teams but also how to collaborate with many people that I am meeting for the first time primarily through the volunteer teams to create strong designs while creating new connections to the community.
Credits of Elements Used to Create this Website
2025 - Kylie Hammett